The First of MUA’s Serial Symposia on Peace “What can we do about climate change?”SDGs oriented learning and action

Speakers: Professor NAGATA Yoshiyuki, University of the Sacred Heart, Tokyo
Mr. HOSAKA Naoki, Science writer, weather forecaster, and extraordinary
professor at the University of Tokyo
Ms. OKADA Eri, Senior student, University of the Sacred Heart, Tokyo

Date: Friday, December 6, 2019
Venue: Minato City Life long Learning Center

MUA started to hold this new serial event with the support of the National Federation of UNESCO Associations in Japan, the Japanese Society of ESD, the ESD Resource Center of Japan , and the Kanto ESD Center of Japan Our response to climate change is one of the urgently required tasks as listed in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Drawing on the international discussions and case studies, we invited an educator, a specialist in science, and a university student as our speakers to enlighten us on a wide range of regional or individual efforts related to climate change. The following is a summary of the speeches, discussions, and Q&A dialogs with the attendees:

Professor NAGATA Yoshiyuki:
UNESCO has been engaged in the promotion of education for int ernational understanding and other objectives, in an effort to construct “the defenses of peace in the minds of men” so that atrocious wars will be never again repeated. From the time when Europe started to suffer visibly from the damages caused by acid rain, people has critically regarded the issue of environment degradation as the common enemy for mankind, harboring a suspicion that we humans are to blame for the problem.

Ever since UNESCO started to promote the Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), education on climate change has been counted as an example of ESD oriented activities. The importance of such education has been growing year by year. At present, the COP25 (the 25th Conference of the Parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change) is in session. Experts in education are playing active roles. I endorse today’s MUA symposium as a very timely event.

We have observed different phenomena caused by climate change, including the emergence of draught driven refugees, the negative impact on cities due to the rise of sea level, increasing death tolls under heat waves, flood damages to large cities, dysfunction of traffic infrastructure under extreme meteorological changes, and various impact on bio-diversity. These changes hav e affected human life. The increasing emission of the greenhouse gas to the air has created a kind of ceiling like a vinyl house all around the earth.
This has disabled the release of the heat around the globe into external sphere. This mechanism is regarded as the cause of global warming.

It is said that the average temperature around the globe has increased approximately 1 over the years since the Industrial Revolution. At the Paris Accord meeting held in 2015, participating countries agreed on the shared goal to restrict the temperature rise through 2100 up to 1.5℃.
It is expected that as many as 30 million people will be displaced due to climate change. People in Africa, among others, are exposed to critical challenge in this connection. The countries which emit the largest quantity of carbon dioxide are China, the U.S., India, Russia and Japan, in this order.
When calculated into per-capita emission figures, the order is the U.S., South Korea, Russia, Japan and Germany.
As for the amount of the greenhouse gas resulting from personal consumption, about 50% is emitted by the rich tier who occupies 10% of the world’s wealth. In contract, poor people, who account for 50% of the world population, emit only 10% of the total emission f igure. Advanced countries have accelerated mass production, mass consumption and mass waste for years. This caused the global warming and placed the developing countries in a vulnerable position in different ways.
It has been an international trend to impose legal restrictions or promote technological innovations as preventive measures to tackle climate change. In addition, we notice an increasing tendency toward “divest” in the investment into petroleum industry. In education area, the 2012 Doha Actio n Plan enumerated in Article 6 major objectives, including the integration of climate change related curricula, the training of educators who teach climate change, the development of teaching materials, the extracurricular education, and the empowerment of youths.

Let me cite an example in the U.K. One school introduced a curriculum called the “Eight Door Activities,” which address food and drink, energy, transportation, school buildings and grounds, wellbeing, participation and inclusion, purchase and consumption, and global viewpoints.
You can pick any of these at free choice. The teachers set a range of sustainability oriented objectives, including compost, car sharing, school vegetable gardens, solar panels, ban on mass production, mass consumption and plastic use.

This campaign provided a good opportunity for their students to think about climate change, from the viewpoint of not only hardware such as different facilities but also software as in curriculum.
I personally hope that Minato City would start to introduce a similar educational initiative.

I’m afraid Japan is yet to catch up with the international awareness about the importance to tackle climate change.
However, I noticed a university which describes itself as an academy fully operated by natural energy, and which actually produces and sells electricity. For helpful information on different measures which individuals can start, please look into the “Lazy Person’s Guide to Saving the World” introduced by the U.N. Information Centre. Among the so called “3R’s,” the greatest importance should be placed on “Reduce.”

When I observed the worldwide “Stop Climate Change” strikes staged by youths almost weekly, I became aware of the necessity for “Transform.” This word is included in the “17 objectives to transform the world” which is a sub title for the SDGs initiative.
To enable “Tra nsform,” it is imperative for us, especially adults and educators, to start transforming ourselves, and to work out ideas which are good for both humans and the globe. Transformation efforts by teachers, such as the transformation of teachers’ room so as to change the atmosphere in classes, will change the attitude of students. The transformation in students will result in the transformation of schools. The transformation of schools will develop into the transformation of the region.

This demonstrates an example of good cycle where self-transformation develops into societal transformation. Transformation as used in this context, is not a temporary change but one attained at the deep level. Transformation at such a level is required for tackling climat e change. Let me conclude my speech by citing a famous phrase from Mahatma Gandhi- “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.”

Mr. HOSAKA Naoki:
The surface ground of the earth is heated by the sunlight and the heated air climbs to the space. The temperature of the atmospheric air around the earth remain almost stable because the balance is kept between the heat coming from the sun and the heat returning to the space. The average degree of temperature measured at different locations around the earth is about 15℃. If the earth is not covered either by the atmosphere or by greenhouse gas, including carbon dioxide, the average temperature around the earth is expected to be minus 18℃.

From the viewpoint of the atmospheric temperature, the global warming can be defined as the following phenomenon; Due to the increase in greenhouse gas, the heat once absorbed by such gas is re radiated back to the earth. Although the mass of heat, supplied by sunlight, remain stable, the accumulation of the said re-radiated heat causes the rise in the global temperature.

The carbon dioxide in the air is absorbed by plans through photosynthesis. Plants are absorbed by animals as their nutrition. When animals die, their remains will be dissolved by bacteria or otherwise, turning into carbon dioxide in the air. In the past, this cycle of the exhaustion and absorption of carbon dioxide over the earth has been repeated and kept in balance. Some of the remains of animals or plants were buried into the ground under exceptional conditions and turned into carbon. Because they had been buried in the ground for a long period in the form of oil or coal, they did not have any connection with the said carbon dioxide cycle on the earth. However, humans started to dig them out for use as fuels. This caused the increase in the mass of carbon dioxide on the earth and destroyed the recycle balance.

The global warming should not be treated simply as a phenomenon of either increase or decrease in the temperature on the earth. It started to cause an extremely hot or cold weather, due to the collapse in various atmospheric balances. The atmospheric air around the earth, which ascends when heated and descends when chilled, is flowing on a global scale. When the place where heat accumulates relocates, the flow of atmospheric air will accordingly change, thereby causing heat wave or cold wave. As the atmospheric temperature rises 1℃, the upper limit of the volume of vapor in the air increases as much as seven percent. Therefore, if a large volume of vapor ascends once and later descends, it turns into heavy rain or snow.

The Meteorological Agency defines the “abnormal weather” as a rare phenomenon which would occur once in 30 years. In this connection, experts define a weather of rare emergence, which is not identical with an abnormal weather, as “extreme phenomenon.” The hot summer weather experienced in Japan in 2018 was a typical case. A decade ago, science could not have identified this phen omenon.
However, thanks to the advancement in meteorological and scientific research, we can make the following analysis today; “Were it not for the global warming, the emergence probability of the 2018 hot summer would have been almost zero percent. How ever, if we calculate on the premise of the current global warming the emergence probability would be 20 percent, namely once every five years.”

It is said that carbon dioxide stays in the air for about a few decades. Therefore, if we immediately put into action today necessary countermeasures to drastically reduce the carbon dioxide emission, it is expected that we can solve the global warming in a few decades. Nothing but committed efforts can reduce the carbon dioxide emission. Regrettably, however, almost no country has attained the expected reduction and some have even recorded a substantial increase. It seems like a long way before all countries share renewed awareness and strive jointly for the overall reduction in the emission of carbon dioxide throughout the world.

As you advance in understanding what science is all about, you become aware that science cannot always produce answer to imposed questions. In democracy, discussions can produce a societal decision.

Therefore, people have expected that if they understand science and exchange opinions based on scientific and objective facts, they can reach compromises or solutions. However, in fact, various scholars have indicated in recent years that, as a result of advancement in scientific literacy, people’s opinions started to extend too far to the extremes to be compromised. This is because a person who decided to trust such a research result as is close to his own idea, and who sticks to his knowledge as a possessor of advanced scientific knowledge, is not likely to have a room for discussion with those who have different opinions.

While some argue that science is applicable to the formation of societal agreements, others argue that science in its original nature does not adapt well to democracy. It is really arguable how scientific facts can be utilized for societal decision making.

Drastic reduction in the amount of carbon dioxide emission is the first step to solve global warming.
As for the plastic wastes in the ocean, even if we immediately stop throwing them away, they are expected to remain almost semi permanently and a majority of them would be uncollectable from a realistic viewpoint.
Because both issues are extremely challenging, it is important that we share common awareness about the existence of such difficult issues and make concerted efforts toward their solutions. Well informed efforts would certainly produce a stronger step in action.

Ms. OKADA Eri:
I hope that you will not perceive what I am going to talk about as something special and peculiar to me but rather as something any of you can do. Please relate it to what you have done. When an NPO called the Ethical Association staged an event at my university, I became aware of diverse activities promoted by such organizations which strive for different causes, including refugee support, fair trade, and divestment. My encounter with these organizations awakened me about the reality that our clothing, food and shelter are closely linked with the natural environment, and that climate change, for example, has imposed tremendous negative impact on poor people. I felt guilty about it. Because climate change, among others, is an issue which we can tackle through our daily behavior, I started to take action with a feeling of mission. I started my initial activities at school but today they have extended to home and society.

Let me introduce my activities at home. We received a homework to check the contents of garbage we dispose at home each week. I extended the period to six months and focused on reducing the amount of garbage through careful observation. Although I had been conscious of the environmental issue, I had not been aware that I have disposed much more plastic garbage, including straws or pouches for confectionary, than I had expected. The most challenging items to reduce were tissue paper and wrapping rolls. As for the latter, my family jointly succeeded in replacing it with beeswax wrap.

On a societal level, I’m working as a member of the FFF (Friday For Future) which currently comprises about 20 enthusiastic members, ranging from high school to graduate school students. About six to seven million students worldwide are cooperating in the FFF, with a shared awareness that mankind is facing a climate crisis, not climate change. When we staged a marching rally in Tokyo this past September, we submitted to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government a petition for the announcement of CED (Climate Emerg ency Declaration). We followed it up with the submission of a total of 5,222 endorsement signatures. Regrettably, the CED is yet to be announced but we will keep up our efforts, believing in the strength of continuity.

The former Secretary General Christiana Figuares of the Climate Change Framework Agreement office once said, “Impossible is not a fact, it is an attitude. It’s only an attitude.” I think that our belief and committed action to tackle what seems impossible will lead to the solution of the climate change issues. Please feel free to join our individual based activities. Your support would be appreciated.

Panel discussions:

The speakers engaged in extensive discussions and suggestions, including the following:

• It is not enough to teach climate change as a fact. Focus should be placed on how to motivate people to think about what they can do, through empathy and learning on the hardship so many people are forced toendure.
• Young people consciously mind to take action based on the results of scientific research, concerning climate change issues. They are in joint actions either through workshops or by getting support from experts, NPO’s and business corporations.
• Mr. Hosaka’s comment on his book titled “We found plastic int a whale’s belly.”:
  I drew on academic papers and reports published from public organizations and wrote the book in a comprehensible style, minding my neutral position. Maybe that’s why the book was favorably accepted.
• It is very import ant to be modest and pay attention to new findings in scientific researches. In the U.K., the word “Door” is used int his context. I hope that Minato City will recommend its citizens to use the said book by Mr.Hosaka as a gate into their action to think about and tackle various issues which are raised in the book.

Q&A session with the floor: A junior high school student asked for advice on how to tackle climate change.
Ms.Okada responded, saying “Take action with friends or group mates who share similar questions and concerns even if you are not clear about what to do. Try to get cooperative teachers and adults involved and engage in joint discussions and suggestions. It will expand into a larger circle of movements.”

To wrap up the symposium, the three speakers gave the following comments or suggestions:
Mr.Hosaka: It is very difficult to promote all of the SDGs concurrently. Start with what you can do is most important. Think squarely about the issue, instead of falling into inaction due to a possibility of negative results. When you think, you should utilize available scientific findings. It is important to act upon well informed decisions.
Ms.Okada: Our activity may look enjoyable but actually they are very hard and demanding. Although it’s a long term battle, I’m determined to keep up a hopeful mentality in our activities.
Professor Nagata: Climate change is an issue which young generations must tackle willy nilly. We adults should back up their efforts. Please take an interest in the COP25 discussions. I hope that you have appreciated the scientific findings and the example of day to day actions, and that you will make the best use of what you learned today in your future action.

(Written by YOKOI Aya, the International Science & Culture Committee, and translated by TANAHASHI Seiichi., the PR & Internet)